


i can get used to this

by quietinthelibrary



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, magical flowershop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 13:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13237107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietinthelibrary/pseuds/quietinthelibrary
Summary: Haruka owns a magical flower shop in Iwatobi, and had been content to just live out the rest of his days here, taking care of the flora and shop he'd inherited from his late grandma.Then he meets Rin.





	i can get used to this

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Floodlight_Zhou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floodlight_Zhou/gifts).



> (note: everyone has some sort of magic, generally running in families, but the strength of it & whether they choose to really use it is up to the individual in this au! it's not necessary to live a normal life, basically - it's just an everyday sort of occurrence.)

It seemed like any other morning when Haruka was tending to the plants around the Seven Seas’ Flower Shop, which he had inherited from his late grandma. Haruka knew that the granny who lived one block down was going to make her usual visit that morning, so he started to prepare the usual bouquet for her—

white chrysanthemums, for grief; some daffodils, meaning respect; aster tataricus, for remembrance; iris, for loyalty; and white roses, for devotion—

and threw in a bit of aloe, for healing. She always requested a bouquet to put at her husband’s grave, but because Haruka knew her to complain about old joints occasionally, he added some aloe in as well, for her sake.

As Haruka went to each flower pot, he whispered a few words of encouragement to them before carefully pruning them, as his grandma had taught him. His grandma had taught him everything, nurturing his natural talent for enhancing the magic tied to every flora out there, passed down in his family’s lineage. His parents pursued other jobs: with his father not being as strong in the magic for the family business and his mother being more skilled in memorization, they ended up in Tokyo. They came back to visit occasionally, but Haruka was doing fine on his own.

Although Haruka had never liked dealing with his emotions, managing the flower shop was a good outlet for him—to enhance a plant’s magic, he needed to pour some of his own emotions into it. It had taken years for him to master calling forth any emotion at will, imaginary or not, but he can now keep the shop running on his own, even with the popularity it had been gaining. Haruka knew he really only had to will it, but he still whispered to them when he was alone, keeping his grandma’s practice of “talking to plants.” After all, while breath did play an important role in his magic, talking to the flora and encouraging them didn’t necessarily do much, beyond increasing his own feelings for the plants he took care of everyday.

After his grandma had passed, Makoto and the rest of the Tachibana family were a huge help around the shop, being empaths. Just by being around, Makoto naturally enhances Haruka’s own abilities, and lends a hand around the shop when he has some spare time. Their families went pretty far back, just given how well their respective magics worked together, and with Makoto being born a few months after Haruka, they became and stayed close friends over the years.

Just as Haruka finished up the bouquet, granny Fujiwara came in, as Haruka had expected.

“Why, hello, dear. It’s been getting hot lately, hasn’t it? It’s always good to see you working so hard here. You’ve taken good care of your grandma’s shop, you know.”

“Good morning. Here’s your bouquet, as you ordered it.” Haruka hands the bouquet to her.

As soon as it’s in her hands, she seems to relax, the magic affecting her already. It’ll last her a good week or so, before some of the magic starts to wear off, which is when Haruka knows he’ll see her again. The usual.

“Thank you dear.” She drops her payment in his hand before heading out. “You know, you’ve grown up so fast; I still remember when you were just a little boy…. Your grandma would be proud of you, dear.” She also says this just about every time she comes by, Haruka offering her a polite nod and a wave to see her out.

Haruka headed back behind the counter, eyeing a newly blooming yellow camellia he needed to attend to. Before he got to it, though, a young man, about his age, with strikingly wine-red hair came in.

The man’s eyes seemed to have widened when he saw Haruka, and he opened his mouth only to close it before even saying a word. Even so, Haruka felt himself get drawn toward him, somehow… but he wasn’t quite sure why. He knew people whose magic was having a certain charm to them, so he thought that maybe that was what this feeling of breathlessness was.

Haruka asked, “Can I help you?”

The man seemed to snap out of it, coughing slightly before saying, “Uh, yes, I was just… I heard about this place and wanted to see if what they all say was true, I guess….”

Even the way he tripped over his speech was charming. It had to be a sort of charm he had.

Haruka leaned against the counter. “Well, what do you want then?” The camellia would have to wait until later.

“I have a pretty important competition tomorrow, if you have anything that would help with that…? Sorry, I don’t really know if I should be requesting something more specific….” He rubbed the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly, or so it felt to Haruka.

“That’s fine. Wait a moment.” Haruka had already fulfilled requests similar to this before, so he had an idea for what to put together for this person. He headed for the back of the shop, where he kept most of the less flowery plants, and knelt down, reaching for the four-leaf clovers—

“Oh, are those actually lucky?” Haruka was jolted out of his thoughts. He didn’t expect the man to follow him around the shop, but he supposed someone like him probably wouldn’t wait around idly if it was his first time in a flower shop.

Haruka absentmindedly hummed and nodded, focusing his attention on the clovers before him, feeling the magic that emanated from each clover, and thinking about luck and fortune—a trickier magic than most of the others, but the inherent magic of four-leaf clovers was actually more about the feeling of good fortune than it was increasing one’s chances for it. Not that he felt much like explaining that to this customer, just now.

He breathed in. His grandma had told him to imagine that he was breathing in the plant’s magic, and then combining it with his own as he exhaled. Focusing on the euphoric feeling of having good luck, he exhaled evenly, before plucking a few.

The man had watched on in curiosity, not that Haruka had paid him much attention (he was just grateful that he didn’t interrupt him just then), but as Haruka straightened up and headed for the poppies, he asked, “So… you use magic on your plants, right?”

“Yeah.” Haruka reached for the yellow poppies.

“What kind of magic do you have, anyway?”

Haruka breathed out, trying not to let feelings of annoyance creep into the thoughts of success he should be focusing on. “Plants are alive, so they already have their own natural magic; my magic just amplifies it.” The shortest possible answer he could give, so he could get back to business.

As he breathed in, Haruka thought about how he’d feel after successfully amplifying the magic of the yellow poppies in front of him, and breathed out. He carefully gathered a few poppies before straightening up once more. Just some irises and daffodils left.

“Did you inherit this flower shop, then?”

Not even his charm will save him from how annoyed Haruka was getting. He just needed peace and quiet for a few more moments to concentrate on his job, but it seemed like this man just wanted to keep questioning him incessantly. (Haruka could usually handle a bit of small talk, but it was a lot harder to focus around this guy, though Haruka chalked it up to whatever magic he probably had, meaning it was still his fault.)

“Yes, and could you wait until I’m done to ask more questions?” Haruka turned to the irises first, not sure if he could muster up feelings of respect that daffodils called for, just then. The man didn’t say anything, thankfully, and he was able to focus on the feeling of hearing good news irises also evoked, besides feelings of respect. He picked a few, then finally finished up with the daffodils, and carefully wrapped up all the flowers into a bouquet.

He hands the bouquet to the man, who stammers out a “Thank you,” before Haruka says, “That’ll be 700 yen.”

“Ah, right!” The man pulls out his wallet and hands Haruka the money before taking the bouquet. “Thanks, uh… what was your name again?”

“Nanase. Haruka.” Not that he had given it out in the first place, but he chose not to comment on that.

The man laughed a little under his breath, then, after seeing the look on Haruka’s face, quickly said, “What a coincidence – I have a girly name, too. Matsuoka Rin. And, uh… thanks for the flowers, Nanase. I’ll be back if they work!”

Matsuoka’s smile as he left the shop was almost too bright, or so Haruka thought—though were his teeth really that sharp? He’d have to see it again to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, but his smile left Haruka torn between committing the sight to memory and not looking at all. It also may or may not have made up for the irritation Haruka felt earlier, when he kept breaking Haruka’s concentration, but Haruka was also left with the feeling that this guy was going to be somewhat troublesome for him in the future. So much for any other morning.

As Haruka headed back to the counter, he spotted the yellow camellia he’d wanted to tend to before Matsuoka came in, and decided that it could wait.

 

* * *

 

Matsuoka is here again. It’d only been a day, and from the way he smelled faintly of chlorine, Haruka was sure he came right after his competition.

He’d won at the swim meet he was at, and excitedly recounted events and how the bouquet had encouraged him—he was pleasantly surprised to find that the flowers worked in a way that didn’t seem to remove from his own hard work—as Haruka carefully wrapped up a bouquet for another customer, who was going to pick it up later.

Haruka hadn’t intended on listening as intently as he did to Matsuoka as he rambled on, but maybe this was a part of whatever charm he seemed to have, to catch everyone’s attention and draw people in with his words and the way he carried himself. He seemed to brighten the small shop just by being there, or so Haruka tried not to think about as he finished up the bouquet.

“… and so, I’ll definitely be recommending this place to everyone I know!”

“That’s great.” Haruka allowed a small smile—he’ll get more business, which wouldn’t hurt at this time of year—and asked, “Did you drop by to order something else, too?”

There was a lengthier pause than Haruka expected, but by the time he put the bouquet down and looked up, Matsuoka said, “Uh, yeah, I want to get something for my mom and my little sister… as thanks for all their support over the years, through, well, everything. Have something for that?”

Haruka thought for a moment. It wasn’t the kind of request he’d get frequently, but he had an idea for what combination of flowers to put together… bluebells were a given, and pansies should also be good, along with pink roses….

“What exactly do you want to thank them for?” The question was out of his mouth almost before he knew it. He told himself that it was to help him decide on the best flowers for the occasion, not for any other reason, like getting to know Matsuoka better or something like that.

“Would knowing that help?”

“… Something like that,” Haruka said, as he got up and headed for the bluebells. Might as well start somewhere.

“Well, I’d want to thank them for always believing in me, even through really hard times… and for all the care and support they always give me. I want them to know how much I appreciate them with this.” Haruka glances back at him—while he had a serious expression, his eyes were soft, gazing at his mind’s eye view of his family members—and looks away, directing his attention to the flowers in front of him. He thinks about gratitude and the people he’s grateful to as he breathes out, before plucking a couple of bluebells.

As he straightens up, Haruka comments, “They sound like nice people. Your mom and your sister.” It seemed like daisies would be a good choice, along with azalea… and white anemone—sincerity—would suit Matsuoka’s feelings.

At that, Matsuoka brightens; he describes how his mother had successfully raised him and Gou—his sister—from when they were both young, on her own, while also getting promoted in the business she works at, and how Gou was now manager of her university’s swim club, while she studied business and marketing. Hydrangea would also be good for embodying the sense of pride he was giving off about his family, with the added bonus of it being the perfect season for them.

While Matsuoka carries on about his family, Haruka does his usual procedure with the hydrangeas, letting Matsuoka’s words wash over him as he worked—unlike yesterday, his words help Haruka carry his emotions onto each flower, working in such a way that was stronger than if Haruka had decided to work in silence.

From the sincerity of his words, Haruka picks a few white anemones without any problems, and he thinks about the sense of trust that was built up in Matsuoka’s family as he picks a few pink roses. Thinking about the faith his family had put in Matsuoka, Haruka picks a few daisies as well; and for the patience that they had in him, azaleas.

The last flower he thought to include were pansies, for thoughtfulness and caring, but before he got to them, both Matsuoka and his own line of thought were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out as they entered the shop:

“Hey Haru, I have leftovers for you from my mom—”

Makoto stopped mid-sentence, no doubt sensing both of their emotions immediately; Matsuoka fell silent, and some emotion flit across Makoto’s face (too fast for Haruka to tell from where he was) before he smoothed it over with a smile. To others, it just looked like a friendly smile, but Haruka knew that to be his smile where he knows something and was keeping it from Haruka deliberately.

He couldn’t question Makoto just then and there, though, so he just said, “You can leave it on the counter. Tell her I said thanks.”

As soon as he finishes setting the tupperware down, Makoto turns to Matsuoka and says, “Hi, I’m Tachibana Makoto; I grew up with Haru, so we’re practically family at this point, haha. Nice to meet you!”

Matsuoka seemed to snap out of a sense of bewilderment before saying, “Oh, uh, nice to meet you too. I’m Matsuoka Rin.” The two shook hands.

“So, what brings you here, Matsuoka-kun?” Makoto continued, though Haruka wasn’t sure why he thought to chat with his customer—he was friendly to everyone on principle, but not usually to the point of introducing himself… Haruka was sure he was doing this because of whatever he sensed when he came in, but Makoto was also hiding any inkling of that from him, to his annoyance. He knew Makoto does this to respect others’ privacy, but it didn’t make Haruka any less annoyed.

But whatever it was, Haruka still had a bouquet he needed to finish. While the two of them continued their conversation, Haruka turned back to the pansies, tuning them out briefly to think about thoughtfulness—Matsuoka was being thoughtful in wanting to give a bouquet to his family, so he focused on that—before plucking a few pansies as well. After briefly rearranging the flowers in his hand, he wrapped them up into a bouquet.

At a lull in their conversation, Haruka handed Matsuoka the bouquet. “900 yen.”

“Ah—right,” he said, grabbing the appropriate amount from his wallet and handing it to Haruka. “It looks great, thanks again!” And turning to Makoto, he said, “It was nice talking to you, too,” before he left the shop, waving briefly at the two of them.

Once he was gone, Haruka turned to Makoto, asking, “What are you doing? Why did you introduce yourself to him?”

Makoto chuckled, still smiling that deliberately obfuscating smile, and said, “I just thought he seemed like a nice person, is all.”

Haruka just stared him down. He knew that Makoto would have picked up his unspoken question of what his true motives were, because it had to be related to his empathy, but his smile didn’t falter. “You never introduce yourself to customers.”

“Oh, um, well… let’s just say I have a good feeling about Matsuoka-kun,” Makoto said, looking somewhat sheepish—while he could keep up his poker face around Haruka, he was still a terrible liar. “He’s about our age and everything, you know? But anyway, you want me to watch the shop for a bit? You can put the tupperware away, take a break for a bit….”

“… Alright. I’ll be back in 30 minutes; if Sasabe-san comes in, the bouquet he requested is on the counter, for 1000 yen.” He knew Makoto was trying to change the subject, while also looking out for him, so he decided to drop it for now. It’ll probably become clearer later, anyway.

 

* * *

 

The sweltering summer heat eventually gives way to cooler autumn winds, and “Matsuoka” gradually becomes “Rin” as he carves out a space for himself in Haruka’s life. At some point, Rin becomes incorporated into Haruka’s small friend group, after they all meet him—Nagisa had attempted to convince Rin to buy him some candy before he snapped out of it, thanks to their respective magics being a little too similar, while Rei and Rin hit it off in a conversation where they tried to analyze the magic Haruka does for each plant, and talked about the theory of magic in general. Haruka’s also sure that Rin and Makoto share a steady stream of cat pictures with each other as well.

He also meets Gou, who is as kind as he thought she would be, just from Rin’s descriptions, but he could admit to himself that he didn’t feel the same sort of pull towards her as he did with Rin. Though there was one time where she got a phone call from a club member about festival preparations; the moment she started issuing commands, she had a different air to her, Nagisa and Rei looking like they were ready to do whatever she said.

So, the charm that runs in Rin’s family might be more about leadership and charisma, but admitting that Rin’s magnetism wasn’t a part of his magic meant facing the dizzyingly terrifying truth, and Haruka wasn’t sure he was ready to face the tumultuous waves of his feelings just yet.

Not that that was helped with Rin being the way he is. At some point, Rin had slung an arm over his shoulders, pulled in close, and just stayed there, warm against Haruka’s side as he laughed at a joke someone had said. And Haruka hadn’t pushed him off, for some reason. Rin is at least as touchy, if not more than Nagisa can be, sometimes, so he’s almost used to the weight of Rin’s arms on his shoulders by now.

On one such occasion, Rin had been leaning on his shoulder when he’d asked Haruka if he got to take any breaks, being the owner of the shop and all. Haruka had just been rearranging a few things here and there, but didn’t do anything to shake him off; after all, Rin wasn’t restricting his movements as he worked, like this.

“I take breaks sometimes. Whenever I need any.”

“Oh yeah? Like for how long?”

Haruka shrugged. “I don’t open on most weekends.”

“So… have you gotten to see much of anything outside of Iwatobi?” Rin seemed more indignant than he really had to be, or so Haruka had felt.

“… I’ve been on school field trips before. And my parents used to take me on trips when I was younger.” He wasn’t sure why this was such a big deal to Rin. Being the sole owner and caretaker meant he didn’t have too many opportunities to get away, if he even had places he wanted to go in the first place.

“Have you at least been to see Matsumi Falls? It’s practically everything you’d like, Mr. subscribed to the _Monthly Issue of Japan’s Famous Mineral Springs and Me_ magazine.”

“… No, I haven’t,” Haruka said, though he had to admit that it looked like somewhere he’d like to go, just based on pictures he’d seen of it.

“We should go there sometime, while we both have some time off or something.” Rin paused to think for a bit. “Oh! And we should definitely go to Aquamarine Fukushima! It’s a really cool aquarium: their exhibits really make you feel like you’re submerged in the ocean, as if you were an aquatic animal.”

Haruka stopped to imagine it… then made a noncommittal sound in response. Both did sound like places he’d want to go to, but he did wonder what Rin meant by “we.” Rin changed the subject before he thought to ask about that, talking about the next competition he had to go to instead, occupying his time before a customer called to place an order, and the rest of the day went by as usual.

Rin’s visits have long stopped being under the pretense of buying a bouquet—one of these days, Haruka is going to have to ask him to help out instead of just hanging around him, filling the air with idle chatter and bantering, and leaving the days he doesn’t come by feeling a little too still, too quiet. He’s requested a bouquet for his late father before, but had mostly only asked for a bouquet before competitions, or for the rest of his family.

Until today.

Rin looks more nervous than usual, seemingly indecisive about where to put his hands as he waited for Haruka to respond. He had asked for a bouquet to give to someone he likes, and Haruka’s mind had gone blank.

Haruka felt like it took all the strength he could muster to respond. “… Okay.”

Mechanically, Haruka moved toward the red roses—a good, generic choice for love—absently noting that his feeling this numb probably isn’t going to help him amplify any magic for this bouquet, though he didn’t think there was going to be much of anything that would help remove the pit in his stomach. He would give anything to just run away right now, and be alone with the crashing waves outside, but he knew he had a job to do, and one that he had already agreed to do on top of that.

He realized that he’d just been staring vacantly at the roses in front of him, taking far longer than he usually did to pick some flowers, and wondered distantly if Rin had noticed anything off about his behavior at this point, but couldn’t bring himself to turn and look. Rin hadn’t said anything yet, anyway.

Then a single red petal fluttered to the ground, and Haruka felt like his heart leapt into his throat—that wasn’t a good sign. He’d let his own feelings affect the flowers, and at the rate this was going… he didn’t have much other choice but to channel Rin’s feelings as he worked, which meant….

Haruka cleared his throat, hoping Rin couldn’t see how the roses were doing from where he was, and said, “What… do you like about this person?” Suddenly, he felt all too aware of his own heart beating, each breath he took in and out, in stark contrast with the numbness he felt just moments before.

“O-oh, well….” A long pause as Rin deliberated, or so Haruka thought. Another petal fluttered to the ground. “Even if they don’t show it all the time, I like how kind and thoughtful they are. Good at everything, too, all around just a really capable person.”

With perhaps the greatest effort he’s ever had to exert, Haruka attempted to let Rin’s feelings flow through him onto the flowers. At least the roses had stopped wilting; eventually, Haruka thought that this would probably be the best he could do. Better than wilted flowers, because what would Rin say then? It would be a dead giveaway at that point.

After collecting a few red roses, Haruka decided to go for some red carnations, for admiration. Rin certainly sounded like he admired this person, anyway.

“They have this… effortless beauty to them? The first time I saw them, they took my breath away… and then when I got to know them more, with all their quirks and deadpan humor, and the ways they show they care… I just liked them more and more.”

Red camellias would be appropriate too, for being in love. It seemed appropriate for Rin’s feelings to be represented by a lot of red flowers. He collected both the red carnations and camellias.

“I really respect them for who they are, for how hard they’ve worked to be where they are and their independence.”

While a somewhat unorthodox choice, Haruka decided to go for the sunflowers—it would encompass both the feeling of respect Rin described and passionate love—and plucked the smallest one he had, so it wouldn’t overshadow the other flowers in the bouquet.

 “And spending time with them makes me happy; they make me want to improve myself.”

The bouquet would be nicely accented by the blue forget-me-nots Haruka chose, for true love. It didn’t feel like Rin just had shallow feelings towards whoever he wanted to give this to, anyway. Haruka just tried not to think about it, emptying himself so Rin’s feelings can reach the flowers instead. He’ll just have to deal with things later.

 “… I want them to be able to receive my feelings with this.”

Lastly… yellow camellias, for longing, seemed like the best choice. Of course it had to be the flower that had only just been budding when Rin first came around. Another coincidence, as Rin might put it.

Haruka straightened up, feeling drained, then grabbed what he needed to wrap these flowers up into a nice bouquet. It was probably the hardest bouquet he’s ever had to make.

“… Here.” He hands it to Rin without really looking him in the eye, feeling like it would take more energy than he currently had to do so.

Rin closes his hands over Haruka’s, still holding the bouquet, and he tries not to focus on the warmth that spread from his touch.

Then Rin pushes the bouquet back toward him, jarring Haruka enough for him to look up at Rin. A tiny sliver of hope crept into Haruka’s heart, though he was almost a little too afraid to jump to conclusions, wanting to protect his heart from any further damage. He took a sharp breath, waiting for what Rin would say next.

Looking up at Rin, Haruka felt like he could drown in how soft Rin’s smile was; then Rin said, “Actually… these are for you,” and the emotions he had precariously been trying to hold back, all this time, crashed over him like a flood. The flowers, held by the two of them, so painstakingly put together, seemed to perk up even more—a rare occurrence, as they didn’t usually pick up magic after being separated from the root.

“Go out with me, and I’ll show you a sight you’ve never seen before!” Haruka didn’t know how it was possible for Rin to look as charming as he did just then, while saying something like that, but his heart had leapt as Rin said that anyway, so he supposed he didn’t have much room to talk.

Haruka put the bouquet down on the counter behind him before responding, “… Then show me.”

Before he knew it, Rin was squeezing him in a warm embrace, even lifting him off the ground as he laughed against Haruka’s collarbone, to his surprise. Haruka hastily put his arms around Rin in turn, for balance, at least as best as he could manage with the way Rin was holding him. Pressed up against him, Haruka was convinced Rin could feel his heartrate skyrocketing, in that moment.

“I’m so happy I could kiss you right now,” Rin said, his words slightly muffled against Haruka’s shoulder.

Somehow, even though he already felt warm all over, Haruka felt more heat rush to his face at those words. But somehow, he found himself replying, “You can…” before turning his face away.

At that, Rin finally puts him down, and backs away only enough to see Haruka, arms still held loosely around him.

“C-can I really?” Haruka chanced a glance at him, only to find that Rin’s face was just as red as his felt. At least he wasn’t the only one. He nodded.

Rin rests his hand on Haruka’s cheek, his other hand still pressed against his back, and moves closer, slowly. Haruka could probably count every single one of Rin’s eyelashes, with how close they were, though it was getting harder to not go cross-eyed watching him. He closed his eyes and subconsciously held his breath.

Then Rin’s lips press gently against his, their noses just brushing, and his first kiss is over a lot sooner than Haruka expected—before Rin tilts his head slightly with the hand against his cheek and comes back in, and after the third kiss, Haruka loses count.

 

* * *

 

While Haruka was tending to some hibiscus, a familiar voice said, “Hey, Haru,” as a familiar weight settled over his shoulders, before pecking him on the cheek.

Rin did this almost every time he visited, now, as long as they were alone.

By way of response, Haruka turned to give Rin a chaste kiss on the lips, before saying, “Give me a hand with this, won’t you?”

Lately, the Seven Seas’ Flower Shop has been gaining popularity for its romantic bouquets, no doubt thanks to Rin giving him more than enough love for all the romance-related flowers he had.

As Rin helped Haruka hold all his tools, he asked, “Are you ready for tonight, Haru?”

Haruka carefully pruned the hibiscus, letting the sudden burst of warmth he felt emanate throughout his body as he thought about their dinner plans later today.

“Yeah, I’m going to close up here a little bit earlier.”

Rin’s smile was as bright as usual; he looked as excited as Haruka felt, though Rin didn’t seem to bother hiding it like Haruka tried to, a little. After all, he wasn’t the one who’d always go around with a smile, even if Rin made him feel that way.

Later, after Haruka closes up shop, they’ll find a hidden alcove on the beach to watch the sunset, and then go to the neighboring town’s best fish restaurant, bantering over meat versus mackerel. And eventually, Rin will make good on his promise to Haruka: the two of them will visit countless waterfalls, aquariums, and all sorts of places together.

But for now, Haruka still had one more order to take care of—but with Rin here, it seemed to take no time at all.

**Author's Note:**

> (yes, the title is from david choi's song)
> 
> happy new year! :)
> 
> i had a lot of fun writing this, so i hope you & anyone else reading it enjoys :') i chose to use the japanese meanings for different flowers, so i relied heavily on this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanakotoba (which meant i didn't quite follow your prompt's examples, though, so i'm sorry about that ;;)
> 
> (on a side note, i also liked your first prompt, but decided not to go with it because... i'd already written a pretty similar color au before ^^;; the first fic i ever published here LOL. it's not quite the same, and it's a little over 3 years old at this point, but if you want to read a color au then you can also check that one out haha...)
> 
> bonus concept art + doodle: https://twitter.com/veggietea/status/948001678875246592


End file.
